Gravity
by ifonly13
Summary: That case was the only thing grounding her.  What does she do when it's finally closed and she's left drifting?


_A/N: This one is for thejetsetgirl from tumblr. I hope I did your dream-fic justice._

**_Disclaimer: The answer's still no..._**

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><p>"Flight 3960 to New York City will start boarding now. If we could have the first class and business priority ticketholders head on over to the counter at this time, that would be fantastic."<p>

There were a few people in two-piece suits that stood, gathering up brief cases and other small carry-ons from the airport lounge. Others were in tailor skirts, some in neatly pressed khakis. All of them looked like they belonged in the front of the plane with the extra legroom and complimentary blankets and upgraded snacks for the flight.

He gave his shoulder a little shrug, barely enough to move the head that was resting there. "Kate. We need to get up."

Her eyes opened a little, blinking in the harsh lights of the airport. Then they turned up, met his. "Already?"

"Yeah. Come on. You can nap again on the plane."

He picked up their two small bags, digging boarding passes from the front pocket of his duffel. She was following, a few steps behind him all the way down the walkway. Her silence worried him. She had been talkative on the cab ride from the hotel to the airport, through security and on the walk to their terminal. Once they had sat, however, she had clamed up, deciding to fall asleep instead of talking anymore. It concerned him that the strong, independent woman he had known was now walking behind him instead of next to him.

Through the rumbling of the take-off to the change in altitude that had his eardrums popping, she didn't move. Her head was leaning against the open window of the plane, watching the streets and buildings below grow smaller. He wasn't sure if she was sleeping or just thinking.

It was the shaking of her shoulders that gave her away.

"Kate…"

She turned, kept her eyes down even as she buried her nose into his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her shoulder without a second thought, his fingers brushing through the ends of her hair. She hadn't spoken a word since they boarded and even now, she didn't make a sound.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

He felt her shake her head against his chest. But he knew what was going on with her from the tears he felt soak through the material of his shirt. The oversized armrest between them was uncomfortably poking into his ribs, but he wasn't going to move or ask her to shift. Not now while she finally, _finally_, broke.

His shoulder stifled most of the sobs though a few passengers turned to glare back at them. He resisted the urge to punch them. Instead, he reached over and unbuckled the belt, ignoring the lighted symbol that told him to keep it fastened, and gently tugged her toward him.

She didn't fight the motion. She curled into his side and he ran his hand over her head, sweeping her hair to one side.

"It's over, Kate. It's okay."

Her voice was soft, broken by tears, when she whispered, "I know."

One of the stewardesses walked by, stopping to lean down and mutter something in Castle's ear, glancing at Kate who hadn't moved her face from Castle's neck. He slipped her a folded bill, flashed a smile, and the woman walked away.

"It's just that Mom's case was my gravity. Without it, I'm going to float away. I'm not grounded without it."

The string of sentences had him looking down just as she turned her head up, the motion so similar to the earlier one in the terminal lounge. This time, her green eyes were lost, drifting, shimmering with tears.

Without a single moment of hesitation, Castle tilted his head just enough to kiss her. It was sweet, full of emotion that he was certain he couldn't find words for. But he was going to try. For her. "We'll find you a new gravity, Kate. You won't float for long, not while I'm here, okay?" He waited for her head to nod slowly. "You have me, your dad, the boys and Lanie. You have anchors surrounding you. All you need to do is reach out and grab one whenever you need it." A second kiss, this one to her cheek to catch the still-falling tears. "That's what we're here for."

A ghost of a smile flitted across her face as she rested her head against his chest, her fingers playing with his as she spoke. "Is there anything you don't know how to fix, Castle?"

"Oh, plenty. Toasters, printer jams, and broken glasses top the list at the moment."

The comment had the hoped-for response of a laugh from the woman in his arms. She picked up his hand, turned it over to trace the lines on his palm. "I'll let you be my gravity."

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><p><em>AN: And now I'm really off for NaNoWriMo. Probably. Who knows - after tomorrow night's Castle, I may be hit with inspiration in the final hours of freedom. But let's stick with me fading for a while in November._

_Reviews? They would be lovely._


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